Finlandia Hall / National Museum of Finland

Finlandia Hall, designed by Alvar Aalto (1898-1976), is a fine example of Finnish architecture and overlooks Töölö Bay on Mannerheimintie. Faced with granite and marble, it was built in 1971-75 and is a popular concert and congress centre.

Opposite Finlandia Hall, on the other side of Mannerheimintie, is the National Museum of Finland (1910) designed by Herman Gesellius, Armas Lindgren and Eliel Saarinen in National-Romantic style. The museum covers Finnish history from prehistoric times to the present day. The vaulted central hall bears frescoes painted by Akseli Gallen-Kallela (1865-1931) on themes from the Finnish national epic, the Kalevala.